I used John C. Campbell‘s book The Southern Highlander and His Homeland to do a lot of research for my writing. Thanks to fellow author Lorin Cary for loaning me that book about twenty-five years ago. I still have it and can mail it back to him if he wants, otherwise I’ll continue to treasure it.
In this book I found the colloquial slur Jolene uses in Chapter One. It might offend people, which I think good because it shows her ignorance. Later on we see her character change, so keep that in mind when you feel offended.
John Charles Campbell (1867 – 1919) was an American educator and reformer noted for his survey of social conditions in the southern Appalachian region of the United States during the early 1900s. He founded “The Folk School” located in Brasstown, North Carolina, along the Cherokee County and Clay line. The nonprofit school nurtures and preserves the folk arts of the Appalachian Mountains. Their motto is “I sing behind the plow.” I hope to visit it someday.